Department for Transport

Railways: Timetables

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what lessons they have learnt from the problems with railway timetables in recent weeks.

baroness sugg: We have been clear that the unacceptable disruption following the introduction of the May timetable must not be allowed to happen again. The May timetable change attempted to implement the most extensive change in years. As a result of the disruption, the rail industry has reviewed its approach for the next planned timetable change and recommended a scaled-back approach to ensure passengers receive a more reliable service. The Government has accepted this recommendation. The Office of Rail and Road has also announced a review into the recent timetable disruption headed by Professor Stephen Glaister. This review will make recommendations to the industry and Government about future major changes.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

New Businesses: Females

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps theyare taking to increase awareness among female entrepreneurs of the resources available to support them and help them grow their businesses.

lord henley: We want to make sure all entrepreneurs can find the information they need to help to grow their business and that includes our 1.2million female-led businesses. Access to funding is important for business growth. Raising awareness of the options available is a key function of the Government-owned British Business Bank (BBB), which publishes the Business Finance Guide, in partnership with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and 21 other industry bodies. The guide sets out the different sources of finance available to smaller businesses and is also available as an online interactive version. The Government-backed British Business Bank’s Start-Up Loans provide funding and support to new entrepreneurs.

Wind Power

lord teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce renewable energy costs by permitting the growth on on-shore wind,following the recommendations of the report bythe National Infrastructure Commission,National Infrastructure Assessment 2018,published 10 July.

lord henley: Onshore wind has deployed successfully to date with nearly 13GW of installed onshore wind capacity now operational across the UK. The Government does not believe that new large scale onshore wind power is right for England, but it could be right for other areas, where local public support exists.We welcome the publication of the National Infrastructure Commission’s Assessment and are considering their recommendations. The Government will respond in due course.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Burma: Press Freedom

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are giving to the United Nations Special Rapporteurs who have called for the immediate and unconditional release of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo following their arrest and detention for reporting on human rights violations in Rakhine State.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK shares the view of the UN Special Rapporteurs for Burma and for Freedom of Expression that Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo should be released without delay. The former Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Asia and the Pacific have made public calls to this effect since the journalists' arrest in December 2017, and have made official representations in meetings with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and the Burmese Ambassador. The UK supports the work of all UN Special Rapporteurs. The former British Ambassador asked the Burmese Government to reverse its decision to refuse Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee access to Burma in his meeting with the Minister of the Office of State Counsellor on 11 January.

Burma: Press Freedom

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the conditions in which Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo are incarcerated; and what representations they have made to thegovernment of Burmaaboutreports that they have been denied (1) sleep during interrogation, and (2) access to medical attention.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is deeply concerned by reports that Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have been denied sleep during interrogation and access to medical attention. The former Foreign Secretary raised his concerns about their continued detention when he met State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi during his visit to Burma in February. The Minister for Asia and the Pacific publicly expressed his disappointment on 8 July about the decision to proceed to a trial, and raised his concerns over the case in his meeting on 11 July with Burmese Ambassador U Kyaw Zwar Minn. Our Embassy officials have regularly attended the pre-trial hearings and will continue to attend court sessions during the trial.

Burma: Press Freedom

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to discuss the obligations under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the government of Burma; and whether they intend to call for a revision of Burma’s Official Secrets Act to bring it into line with that government's obligations to respect press freedom and the right of journalists to carry out their duties freely and safely.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK has been a consistent, vocal advocate of democratic freedoms in Burma, including freedom of expression. The former Foreign Secretary raised the UK's concerns about freedom of expression in Burma with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi during her visit to the UK in May 2017, and his specific concerns about the continued detention of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo when he met her during his visit to Burma in February 2018. The UK will continue to urge the Burmese authorities to protect its citizens' right to a free press in line with international norms.

China: Religious Freedom

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to support the complaint recently filed by Alessandro Amicarelli to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention against China for its use of arbitrary detention against unregistered religious believers.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We remain deeply concerned about the persecution of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners and others on the grounds of their religion or belief in China. The freedom to practise, change or share ones faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy. Her Majesty’s Government remains committed to promoting and defending the right to freedom of religion or belief for all individuals.  The UK has a close working relationship with UN bodies and is committed to upholding the rule of law and rules-based international system. My officials continue to monitor the progress of the complaint filed by Alessandro Amicarelli and await the outcome.

UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they give to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK supported the establishment of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in 1991 and has subsequently voted in favour of the renewal of the Working Group’s mandate. The UK cooperates with the Working Group when required, as it does with all UN human rights mechanisms.

China: Trade

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their strategy towards China’s belt and road initiative; and how that initiative affects UK interests.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government welcomes the opportunities presented by the Belt and Road Initiative; if implemented well, we believe it will have a significant impact on economic development in the Asia and Pacific region. During the Prime Minister’s visit to China in January, the UK and China agreed to work together to identify how best we can cooperate on the Initiative and ensure it meets international standards. We are currently taking forward the practical cooperation agreed at the UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue in December 2017. Sir Douglas Flint, former Chair of HSBC, has been appointed the UK Financial and Professional Services Envoy for the Belt and Road. In addition, we are working with China to jointly identify infrastructure projects.  It is in everyone’s interests to ensure that the Initiative adheres to international standards and best practice, including to encourage responsible investment and sustainable development, in order to be a success in driving global growth and enhancing development outcomes.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions the Prime Minister had with President Trump about his Middle East peace plan during his recent visit.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: A wide range of topics related to the Middle East were discussed. We continue to engage with the US Administration on the Middle East Peace Process.

Syria: Detainees

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the United States and the Syrian Defence Forces about whether prisoners held by the Syrian Defence Forces in eastern Syria will be moved to Guantanamo Bay.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK's long-standing position remains that the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay should close. We continue to engage with the US Government on this issue, as we do on a range of national security issues.

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the reports of the deterioration of prison conditions for female political inmates in Bahrain’s Isa Town Detention Centre.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government monitors events in Bahrain closely. Where we have concerns on specific issues, including prison conditions, we raise these with the Bahraini authorities. We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies. We encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments.

Northern Ireland Office

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

lord tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have been charged with terrorist offences connected with Northern Ireland since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

lord duncan of springbank: Information on charges for terrorist offences with a connection to Northern Ireland is held by a number of agencies. Northern Ireland Office officials are currently undertaking a consolidation exercise to confirm the answer to this question and I will write to the Noble Lord once this exercise has been completed.

Army and Police: Northern Ireland

lord tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) members, and (2) former members of the security forces have been charged with offences relating to their duties in Northern Ireland since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

lord duncan of springbank: The Government does not hold figures on prosecutorial decisions as this is a matter for the prosecuting authorities (in this case the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland) who act independently of Government. We are aware, however, that since 2011 the following decisions have been taken in relation to offences connected to the security situation in Northern Ireland that took place prior to the signing of the Belfast Agreement on 10 April 1998. There have been seven prosecutions of republican paramilitaries. Of the five concluded cases there have been two convictions, one acquittal and two cases in which proceedings were discontinued (one following the death of the defendant); There have been four prosecutions related to alleged loyalist paramilitary activity. Convictions have been secured in two cases and two cases are currently active; There have been three prosecutions of soldiers with one ‘no prosecution’ decision currently under review. All of these cases are currently active.

Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland: Finance

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland regarding the implications of the current budget allocation for its activities.

lord duncan of springbank: Officials regularly hold discussions with the Chief Electoral Officer and her staff on this and a range of other issues.

Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with local councils in Northern Ireland about the transfer of some of the functions of the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland to local authorities.

lord duncan of springbank: The delivery of elections in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland and there is no suggestion that that will change. If the Chief Electoral Officer wishes to pursue the possibility of local authorities assisting in the delivery of some aspects of elections, under her direction, that will in the first instance be a matter for her.

Electoral Register: Northern Ireland

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness anduptake of the new system of online registration of voters in Northern Ireland.

lord duncan of springbank: Electoral registration is an operational matter for the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland. The Electoral Office report that for the first month of the digital service being in operation, 18 June to 17 July 2018, approximately 79% of all applications to register to vote in Northern Ireland were made using the online service.

Department of Health and Social Care

Medical Treatments

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord O'Shaughnessy on 26 June (HL8564), whether they will publish details of NHS England's process for developing treatment criteria.

lord o'shaughnessy: NHS England has advised us that with regard to its process for developing treatment criteria, it develops treatment criteria for cancer and other high cost drugs to support implementation of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance and to ensure approved treatments are available as intended, with access funded consistently across the country. These criteria are developed by relevant expert clinical advisers, drawn from NHS England’s 42 Clinical Reference Groups (CRGs). These CRGs have been established to support clinical commissioning across the entire specialised commissioning portfolio.Furthermore, NICE and NHS England are working closely to ensure that the process for translating NICE recommendations into clinical commissioning criteria is fully aligned. This collaboration will ensure the steps for the setting of treatment criteria are fully integrated into the process NICE follows when developing its guidance. This process will include consideration of the evidence submitted to NICE, advice from NHS England, and consideration of how any potential recommendations will be implemented. These draft treatment criteria will then be subject to stakeholder consultation as part of the NICE process and updated, as appropriate, in light of feedback received. Once this process has been fully finalised with NICE, full details will be published.

Medical Treatments

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they review treatment criteria; and in how many cases treatment criteria have been amended since their implementation.

lord o'shaughnessy: NHS England is responsible for the processes it uses to translate recommendations by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) into its treatment criteria. NHS England’s treatment criteria are under constant review and are amended as appropriate to reflect feedback from stakeholders including clinicians, companies, licensing agencies and NICE and to reflect changes to NHS England policies. Given that its treatment criteria are reviewed on an ongoing basis, NHS England is unable to provide the number of cases where the treatment criteria have been amended since their implementation.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have carried out any research into the number of potential beneficiaries of a relaxation of the current restrictions on the use of medicinal cannabis.

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that research into the use of medicinal cannabis as a potential treatment will be shared following the UK exiting the EU.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government has not commissioned research into the number of patients that might benefit from use of cannabis-based medicinal products.The Government values the strong collaborative partnerships that we have across the European Union in the areas of science, research and innovation, and as part of exit negotiations is working to ensure that we have the best possible environment in which to support clinical trials and new medicines after we leave the EU. The Government will continue to monitor and share the emerging evidence on the therapeutic use of cannabis-based medicinal products.

Mental Health: Gambling

lord chadlington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of people diagnosed with mental health problems caused by gambling-related harm.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government has not made any formal assessment of people diagnosed with mental health problems caused by gambling-related harm. We are currently developing a new version of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) dataset to improve data collection in this area that we will use to capture gambling related mental health problems in the future. We are aiming to introduce the updated dataset by the end of 2019, which will also enable us to evaluate IAPT outcomes for people with gambling problems.

Suicide: Travellers

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what assessment they have madeof evidence from the Republic of Ireland of the high rates of suicide and premature deaths among Irish Travellers in the All Ireland Traveller Health Study 2010;and what evidence, if any, they collect in the UK in relation to suicide rates among Gypsy, Traveller and Roma residents.

lord o'shaughnessy: No assessment has been made of evidence from the Republic of Ireland of the high rates of suicide and premature deaths among Irish Travellers in the All Ireland Traveller Health Study 2010.There are no official statistics collected on suicide rates among Gypsy, Traveller and Roma residents in England. The Office for National Statistics, which produces official data on suicide rates in the general population based on registered deaths, advises that data would not be robust enough to produce any statistics on suicide by ethnicity.Suicide prevention is a priority for this Government which is why we updated the National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England last year to strengthen its key areas for action.The National Suicide Prevention Strategy makes clear that local authorities should tailor suicide prevention approaches to their local communities. Most local authorities now have a multi-agency suicide prevention plan in place. We expect local authorities to work with the National Health Service and other local services and professionals to ensure their plans are tailored to the demographics and associated risks of their local communities, including for groups such as Gypsy, Traveller and Roma residents.

Mental Health: Travellers

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent studyby the University of Essex,The Cumulative Effect of Racial Discrimination on the Mental Health of Ethnic Minorities in the UK; and what monitoring they undertake or evidence they collect in relation to the impact of racism on the mental health and wellbeing of Gypsy, Traveller and Roma people.

lord o'shaughnessy: It is planned that The Cumulative Effect of Racial Discrimination on the Mental Health of Ethnic Minorities in the UK will be examined as part of a wider piece of work to be undertaken by the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) Health and Wellbeing Alliance programme. This is to examine effective strategies to reduce racial disparities in mental health. The programme is overseen by the Department, NHS England and Public Health England, who work together with VCSE organisations to drive transformation of health and care systems; promote equality; address health inequalities and help people, families and communities to achieve and maintain wellbeing. It is anticipated that work will begin later this summer.The impact of racism on the mental health and wellbeing of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people is not routinely monitored.The Department has commissioned NHS England to scope out whether data collection within the National Health Service could be improved to include more of the protected characteristics listed under the Equality Act 2010. The Government is committed to improving NHS data collection to better understand the extent of inequalities, determine health outcomes and uptake of health services for these communities. The initial scoping exercise is due to be completed later this year.The Government is committed to ensuring that attention is focussed on developing national and local services to reduce unfair gaps in outcomes between ethnic groups. The Government’s ethnicity facts and figures online resource brings together information from across Government about how ethnicity affects people's everyday lives.

Mental Health: Travellers

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what data, if any, they collect in relation to the diagnosed mental health status, and self-harm and suicide rates among self-identifying Gypsies and Travellers within the secure estate; and how such recorded data compares with that of other ethnic groups whose ethnicity is recorded on NOMIS or is otherwise monitored.

lord o'shaughnessy: Data on people detained in the secure estate, including secure mental health hospitals, prisons and immigration removal centres, are collected in different ways across Government. Across the secure estate, data on ethnicity is collected through self-reporting which impacts the ability to provide ethnic breakdowns with confidence. The Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS) collects data on people in contact with National Health Service funded secondary mental health, autism and learning disability services, including secure mental health hospitals. The MHSDS uses ethnicity codes which align with the 2011 Census and NOMIS ethnic groups and includes a category for ‘White (Gypsy or Irish Traveller)’. It does not collect data on suicide and self-harm rates of people identifying as gypsies or travellers. Prison recording systems such as the Prison National Offender Information System (p-NOMIS) do not hold clinical data, although individual prisoners’ records may refer to aspects of it where relevant. An example is that a vulnerable prisoner being supported through the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process may have mental health needs that are noted in their ACCT documents, so that non-clinical staff are aware of them and will respond appropriately. p-NOMIS records incidents of self-harm and all deaths of prisoners, including suicide. For ethnic monitoring it uses the same classifications as the 2011 census. The specific option for Gypsies or Travellers is ‘White (Gypsy or Irish Traveller)’. Anyone not identifying themselves as such may use another, such as ‘White (other)’ or ‘Other’. It is not possible to calculate rates of self-harm or suicide by ethnicity with confidence. Data on people detained in immigration removal centres is recorded by nationality. Data is not routinely recorded on people who may identify as gypsy or traveller. The Office for National Statistics, which is the official source of suicide data for the United Kingdom, does not collect data on suicide registrations by ethnicity.

Hernias: Surgery

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the report by the British Hernia Society and the Royal College of Surgeons,A dangerous waiting game, published 17 July, what assessment they have made of whether clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are delaying patients from accessing groin hernia surgery without clinical justification; and whether they plan to intervene when CCGs delay treatment in such a way.

lord o'shaughnessy: We have made no such assessment. It is for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to determine what services they commission as these are statutory, independent and autonomous bodies. We expect NHS England to assess CCGs to ensure they are commissioning both efficiently and effectively to meet the needs of its local population. Where a CCG is not meeting this standard, we would expect NHS England to intervene.

Drownings

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support not available in other circumstances is provided by public services to families where a member of the family has died in a drowning accident.

lord o'shaughnessy: The provision of National Health Service bereavement services is a local matter. These services may offer a range of support to bereaved people and are typically designed to support people regardless of the circumstance of that bereavement. There are also a number of charities and support networks that that specialise in providing support to those who have lost a loved one in particular circumstances, such as drowning.

Ibrutinib

lord touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply byLord O'Shaughnessy on 7 June (HL Deb, col 1405), what was the outcome of his meeting with patients' groups regarding the use of Ibrutinib in England.

lord o'shaughnessy: On 22 May I met with the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia Association, and Lord Forsyth regarding the use of ibrutinib in England. Following this meeting, I met with NHS England and the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence to discuss the treatment criteria set by NHS England for ibrutinib. As a result, NHS England committed to receiving, and reviewing by the end of July, any further evidence that patients and clinicians wish to submit on this matter and will review the criteria in light of all evidence submitted.

Amyloidosis

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have been diagnosed with amyloidosis in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

lord o'shaughnessy: Amyloidosis is the name for a group of rare, serious conditions caused by a build-up of an abnormal protein called amyloid in organs and tissues throughout the body.The information is not held in the format requested. Hospital Episode Statistics data show that in the financial year of 2012-13 there were 1,716 finished admission episodes that had a primary diagnosis of amyloidosis. In the following years there were 2,111 (2013-14), 2,589 (2014-15), 2,668 (2015-16) and 2,703 (2016-17) admissions, respectively, that had a primary diagnosis of amyloidosis. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.

Obesity: Children

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to engage directly with obese children and their parents to raise their awareness of obesity, offer encouragement, and support them to lose weight.

lord o'shaughnessy: Public Health England’s (PHE’s) Change4Life and Start4Life programmes continue to engage directly with obese children and families with information on leading a healthy lifestyle, including inspiring them to eat well and move more.PHE is currently exploring how digital technology could help to extend access of behavioural approaches to children and families who might benefit the most from support to adopt healthier lifestyles and achieve a healthier weight. PHE is taking a user centred approach to this programme and is working with families to understand their needs and develop approaches collaboratively.

Liothyronine

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O'Shaughnessy on 4 July (HL8857),whether patient groups were consulted in relation to the discussions on Liothyronine (T3) at the meetings of the Regional Medicines Optimisation Committee held inJanuary and May 2018.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Regional Medicines Optimisation Committees (RMOCs) membership includes patient representation. The comments of patients and of national endocrinology clinical experts have been instrumental in the development of the further advice regarding arrangements for the on-going prescribing of liothyronine. The advice will be shared more widely for comment before being authorised by the RMOCs, including with patient groups and other relevant stakeholders.

World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to recognise World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day annually on 11 July.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government currently has no plans to officially recognise World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day. However, the Government is concerned about the impact of long term use of benzodiazepines by NHS patients and other dependence forming medicines prescribed in primary care.The Parliamentary under Secretary of State (Steve Brine) has commissioned Public Health England to review the evidence for dependence on, and withdrawal from, prescribed medicines including benzodiazepines. The review was launched in January 2018 and is due to report in spring 2019.

Antidepressants

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many anti-depressants have been dispensed by the NHS in each of the past ten years; and what was the total cost to the NHS.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information is not available in the requested format. The following table shows the number of prescription items and the Net Ingredient Cost.British National Formulary 4.3 Antidepressants dispensed in the community in EnglandYearPrescription ItemsNet Ingredient Cost200733,839,594£276,107,573200835,960,539£247,355,066200939,140,459£230,062,853201042,787,966£220,372,789201146,677,813£270,177,163201250,167,201£211,145,435201353,326,550£282,121,595201457,147,928£265,003,747201561,021,611£284,745,611201664,703,568£266,560,175201767,530,375£235,074,205Total552,303,604£2,788,726,212Source: Prescription Cost Analysis

Antidepressants: Children

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many anti-depressants have been dispensed to (1) people under 18 years old, and (2) primary school children in each of the past ten years; and what was the total cost to the NHS.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information is not available in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Antidepressants

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the side effects of anti-depressants; and for how long on average anti-depressants are taken by patients.

lord o'shaughnessy: Antidepressants are an important group of medicines which help patients who suffer depressive illness and anxiety disorders. As with all medicines, anti-depressants may be associated with side effects in some individuals, and information on side effects is included in the product information for prescribers (the Summary of Product Characteristics) and patients (the Patient Information Leaflet).The safety of the use of anti-depressants in routine clinical practice is continually monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA monitors all data including reports of suspected adverse drug reactions submitted by healthcare professionals, patients and carers through the Yellow Card scheme, as well as published and unpublished data. As new data emerges it is carefully evaluated and, where appropriate, product information for prescribers and patients is updated and advice issued.It is not possible to estimate how long on average patients receive antidepressants. The British National Formulary recommends that patients should be reviewed every 1–2 weeks at the start of antidepressant treatment. Treatment should be continued for at least four weeks (six weeks in the elderly) before considering whether to switch an antidepressant due to lack of an adequate response. In cases of partial response, the guidance is to continue for a further 2–4 weeks, and elderly patients may take longer to respond.Following remission, antidepressant treatment should be continued at the same dose for at least six months (about 12 months in the elderly), or for at least 12 months in patients receiving treatment for generalised anxiety disorder as the likelihood of relapse is high. Current guidance advises that patients with a history of recurrent depression should receive maintenance treatment for at least two years.

Preventive Medicine: Finance

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that funding for preventative health measures is targeted to areas where the majority of avoidable deaths occur.

lord o'shaughnessy: The inclusion of weighting for deprivation, need due to age, and health inequalities in the setting of clinical commissioning group (CCG) allocations contributes to ensuring that National Health Service funding is distributed equitably across England to meet the health care needs of the population. CCGs have a duty under the NHS Act 2006 to act with regard to the need to reduce inequalities in access to, and outcomes from, health services.Since 2013 local authorities have received a public health grant to support them in improving the health of local people. This is primarily allocated based on historical NHS spend which tended to be greater in areas with the highest levels of health need. As a condition of the grant they receive local authorities must have due regard to reducing inequalities in outcomes from their health services.

NHS: Finance

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that NHS resources are targeted towards preventative health and social care.

lord o'shaughnessy: The importance of effective prevention was recognised in the National Health Service Five Year Forward View and has been reinforced in the Government’s mandate to NHS England. One of the six principles set for the new NHS long-term plan and funding settlement is “focusing on the prevention of ill-health, so people live longer, healthier, happier lives and take greater responsibility for their own care”.In addition, the annual NHS public health functions agreement (under section 7A of the NHS Act 2006) sets out a range of public health and preventative services to be commissioned by NHS England on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health. Ring-fenced NHS funding of £1,205 million is allocated for these functions in 2018/19.The Better Care Fund (BCF) requires local authorities and clinical commissioning groups to pool budgets for the purposes of integrated care. Local areas have to submit plans that comply with four national conditions including maintaining the NHS contribution to adult social care in line with inflation. The Government’s policy framework for integration and the BCF envisages integrated, preventative, person-centred care becoming the norm, so that people can be supported to live at home for longer and avoid the need for commissioned health and care services.

Liothyronine

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk to patients of being denied access to liothyronine (T3) where they had previously achieved good health outcomes when using the medicine.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Department has made no assessment. When publishing its guidance, NHS England advised clinical commissioning groups that individuals currently being prescribed liothyronine should be reviewed by a consultant National Health Service endocrinologist with consideration given to switching to levothyroxine, but only where clinically appropriate.The responsibility for prescribing and any necessary follow-up rests with the doctor or prescriber who has clinical responsibility for that particular aspect of a patient's care. Decisions on which drugs are prescribed should be based on clinical assessments. Good communication between practitioners and patients is essential and prescribers should always involve patients in decisions about the treatment proposed, including informing them of any possible side effects from their prescribed medicines.

Liothyronine

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to review local and regional guidance by NHS bodies which do not follow current national guidance in relation to the prescribing of liothyronine (T3).

lord o'shaughnessy: We have no intention to review guidance by National Health Service bodies. However, we are informed by NHS England that the joint clinical working group has agreed that NHS clinical commissioners will reiterate to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) by the end of July 2018 that the intention of the guidance published last November was to end the routine prescription of liothyronine only where it was clinically appropriate to do so.CCGs are accountable to NHS England, which has a key role to ensure that they, as statutory organisations, deliver the best possible services and outcomes for patients within their financial allocation. Where there are concerns about CCGs failing or at risk of failing to discharge its functions, NHS England has the ability to exercise formal powers to either provide enhanced support to a CCG, or in rare circumstances to intervene. Although the Department ultimately holds NHS England to account for its commissioning activity, including that of CCGs, the Health and Social Care Act 2012 ensures commissioning activity meets the requirements of each local area.

Liothyronine

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that the appropriate funds will be made available when an endocrinologist has prescribed liothyronine (T3) for an NHS patient.

lord o'shaughnessy: It is the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to make decisions on funding in their local areas. NHS England expects CCGs to have due regard to Items which should not routinely be prescribed in primary care: Guidance for CCGs, published in November 2017. A copy of the guidance is attached. The guidance is clear that liothyronine can and should be prescribed by an endocrinologist when it is clinically appropriate to do so, providing the funding has been agreed with the commissioner.If an individual cannot get a medicine their prescriber feels is the most appropriate, under local commissioning arrangements, the prescriber can make an Individual Funding Request on behalf of the patient for that medicine to be provided.



Items which should not routinely be prescribed
(PDF Document, 607.85 KB)

Clinical Commissioning Groups

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether Clinical Commissioning Groups have a robust process of debate and challenge in relation to commissioning decisions.

lord o'shaughnessy: No such formal assessment has taken place, however clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have a duty to involve their patients, carers and the public in decisions about the services they commission. General practitioners (GPs) know the needs of their local population best, all GP practices have to be a member of a CCG and CCGs have an obligation to reflect their members’ concerns.CCGs are independent statutory organisations and thus are, in principle, self-governing, however they are accountable to NHS England and it has the power to intervene where it believes a CCG is not carrying out its duties.

Liothyronine

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take steps to withdraw PrescQIPP guidance to Clinical Commissioning Groups in the East of England on prescribing liothyronine (T3) as it has not been updated to reflect current national guidelines.

lord o'shaughnessy: PrescQIPP is an independent social enterprise and any decision to withdraw this guidance is a matter for PrescQIPP.Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for deciding whether and how they take that guidance into account when making decisions. However, NHS England expects CCGs to have due regard to the Items which should not routinely be prescribed in primary care: Guidance for CCGs published in November 2017 by NHS England and NHS Clinical Commissioners when considering the prescribing of liothyronine. A copy of the guidance is attached.



Items which should not routinely be prescribed
(PDF Document, 607.85 KB)

Department for Education

Apprentices: Construction

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to reverse the decline in new apprenticeships for the construction industry, in particular in small and medium-sized firms; and what steps they are taking to ensure that the Building Crafts College and other smaller providers of training are able to contribute as fully as possible in the training of apprenticeships.

lord agnew of oulton: The Institute for Apprenticeships is working with a range of sectors, including construction, to design and deliver new high quality apprenticeship standards that will meet the skills needs of industry. There are currently 52 construction standards approved for delivery, with 43 further standards in development. We have seen a 338% growth in apprenticeship starts at higher levels (Level 4 and above) in construction and planning this year, compared to the same period last year. To support smaller employers who do not pay the levy take on apprentices, the government provides at least 90% of training and assessment costs.We recently released additional funds for providers who were successful in our procurement drive to fund apprenticeships amongst smaller employers, taking the total amount of investment to nearly £560 million. We recognise, however, that a number of smaller, niche providers were unsuccessful in the procurement. We have recently introduced the ability for levy paying employers to transfer up to 10% of their levy funds to other employers, including small and medium-sized enterprises in their supply chains, and we continue to make subcontracting an option; such initiatives have helped providers who were unable to continue in delivering high quality apprenticeship training.We are encouraging employers to take advantage of these changes to enable them to grow their apprenticeship programmes and invest in the long-term skills required of their business. We meet regularly with business groups and individual employers to understand the impact of the reforms and use their feedback to inform any further changes.

Free School Meals

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the impact of the changes to free school meals entitlement following the Free School Lunches and Milk, and School and Early Years Finance (Amendments Relating to Universal Credit) (England) Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/148) coming into force.

lord agnew of oulton: The department is working closely with local authorities and schools to support them in implementing the changes to free school meal eligibility that were introduced in April. This has included the provision of guidance, webinar sessions, regular communications and responding to queries received via the department’s Eligibility Checking Service. The latest government statistics on free school meal rates are based on data collected before this change was introduced (January 2018 census). The next publication will be in June 2019 (based on the January 2019 census). The government is committed to reviewing the threshold level at the end of the Universal Credit rollout period.

Apprentices

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthe numbers of apprenticeship starts have decreased since the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy; what factors have contributed to any such decrease; and what steps they are taking to increase the number of apprenticeship starts.

lord agnew of oulton: The number of people starting apprenticeships has dropped. A key reason for this was because we have radically reformed what an apprenticeship is. The old apprenticeship frameworks were said by employers not to be equipping apprentices to do the job. Training was often of poor quality or was non-existent. Instead, we are asking employers to lead the design of new apprenticeship standards, putting them in the driving seat to give apprentices the skills that businesses need. The number of people starting on these new standards is growing fast. Over 40% of individuals completing an apprenticeship are now starting on new standards, compared to 2.5% this time last year.We are creating quality apprenticeships that will change the lives of apprentices and the prospects of businesses and we are continuing to take steps to grow apprenticeships starts. The Institute for Apprenticeships have introduced their Faster and Better process to speed up and simplify standards development.The apprenticeship levy is an important part of the changes to raise apprenticeship quality; creating long-term, sustainable investment in training. Only around 2% of employers pay the levy, but they have generated almost 50% of starts so far in 2017/18. We will continue to work closely with employers to help them take advantage of the levy and wider funding changes, to invest in the long-term skills needs of their business.We recognise that employers want and need flexibility. We have already extended the amount of time employers have to spend their levy (from 18 to 24 months), and have introduced transfers, to make the system as effective as possible. We will avoid making any changes that could compromise the quality of apprenticeships. We will keep listening to employers’ feedback as the system develops further. We also meet regularly with business groups and individual employers to understand the impact of the changes and use their feedback to inform any further reforms.The changes we have made to the apprenticeship system are transforming lives. Few countries can match the energy and range of reforms currently being pursued in England. We are helping employers to create high quality apprenticeships at all levels that give people of all ages and backgrounds the skills they need.We are using the employer Diversity Champions, comprised of over 65 members including employers, local authorities and schools, has been developed to engage and inspire employers and communities to ensure apprenticeships are undertaken by people from a diverse range of backgrounds, reflecting the widest spectrum of our society.

Pupil Exclusions

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to prevent children being groomed for criminal gang activities when they have been excluded from school and left unsupervised.

lord agnew of oulton: The government supports schools in using exclusion where it is warranted, underpinned by statutory guidance issued by the department. Following an exclusion, pupils are not unsupervised. There are clear duties in place to ensure that full time education must be put in place for any pupil from the fifth day of an exclusion. In the first five school days of an exclusion (or until the start date of any alternative provision or the end of the exclusion where this is earlier), the attached statutory guidance requires a head teacher to notify the pupil’s parents of the days on which they must ensure that the pupil is not present in a public place at any time during school hours. Any parent who fails to comply with this duty without reasonable justification commits an offence and may be given a fixed penalty notice or be prosecuted. The head teacher must notify the parents of the days on which their duty applies without delay and, at the latest, by the end of the afternoon session. On the 9 April, The Home Office (HO) published the Serious Violence Strategy. This sets out the government response to tackling county lines and establishes a new balance between prevention and rigorous law enforcement activity. The strategy set out the government’s response to serious violence and outlines an ambitious programme involving 61 commitments and actions including a new £11 million Early Intervention Youth Fund to support communities for early intervention and prevention with young people for financial years 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 and a new National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to tackle violent and exploitative criminal activity associated with county lines. The attached HO guide for frontline practitioners on child criminal exploitation was launched in July 2017 and supports this work. The HO are also undertaking nationwide awareness-raising communication activity about the threat of county lines targeted to young and vulnerable people and how to avoid becoming involved and exploited by gangs. 



HL9562_Exclusions_guidance
(PDF Document, 339.99 KB)




HL9562_Serious_Violence_Strategy
(PDF Document, 1.01 MB)




HL9562_HO_Child_exploitation_guidance
(PDF Document, 194.12 KB)

Social Services: Children

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they plan to put in place to prevent vulnerable children being taken into local authority care for their own safety due to underfunded local safeguarding services.

lord agnew of oulton: The government wants every child to be in the stable, loving home that is right for them. One of the key principles of the legislation which underpins England’s child protection system is that children are best looked after within their families. However, as a last resort, local authorities may apply to the independent courts for a decision about removing a child from his or her family – for the child’s safety. In making these decisions, the courts must be satisfied that the threshold for significant harm has been met and that taking the child from his or her family’s care will be in the child’s best interests.The government set out its vision for delivering excellent children’s social care in ‘Putting Children First’. This outlines our reform programme which seeks to: improve the quality of social work practice; create systems and environments where great social work can flourish; promote learning and multi-agency working where all involved in supporting children and families can work together; and support children who both enter and leave the care system.The 2015 Spending Review made available more than £200 billion until 2020 for councils to deliver the local services their communities want to see, including children’s services. In February, Parliament confirmed the 2018-19 settlement for local government, which has provided a £1.3 billion increase in resources to local government over the next two years, from £44.3 billion in 2017-18 to £45.6 billion in 2019-20. In addition, the current business rates retention scheme is yielding strong results. Local authorities estimate that in 2018-19 they will keep around £2.4 billion in business rates growth. This is on top of the core settlement funding. Funding for children’s services is an un-ring fenced part of the wider local government finance settlement. Local authorities have used this flexibility to increase spending on the most vulnerable children by around a £1 billion since 2010.

Apprentices: Taxation

baroness cavendish of little venice: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to use the apprenticeship levy funds made available by the fall in apprenticeship starts to reinstate the contracts which were removed from experienced small training providers.

lord agnew of oulton: Any unspent apprenticeship funds in levy payer accounts are used to support levy-paying employers who spend more than the funds available in their accounts and to fund apprenticeship training for non-levy payers.The procurement for apprenticeship training for non-levy payers was managed in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. We did not remove contracts from training providers, but as with any procurement, some bidders were not successful. We are not able to revisit the decisions made at that time, nor are we able to award funding to bidders that were not successful, as the procurement is now closed.

Apprentices: Small Businesses

lord sharkey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many contracts for the training of apprentices for small and medium-sized employers who do not pay the Apprenticeship Levyhave been awarded by the Education and Skills Agency to date; what is the total value of those contracts; how many of the awardees do not have the facilities to provide such training and sub-contract; and what percentage of those contracts’ value is typically retained by an awardee who subcontracts training.

lord agnew of oulton: The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) currently contracts with 713 training providers for an overall value of £562 million. These contracts run from January 2018 to March 2019 and support apprenticeship delivery for 16-18 and adult learners. The ESFA does not monitor or collect information on the size of the employers supported by these contracts.The ESFA require apprenticeship training providers to declare details of their subcontracting relationships. The first subcontractor declaration for these particular contracts is in progress and will close on 25 July 2018. A summary of providers’ subcontracting relationships will be published by the ESFA on GOV.UK in August 2018 in a document named ‘List of declared subcontractors’. The ESFA does not hold information to indicate the percentage of funding retained by a provider when subcontracting these particular contracts.

Music: Education

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enable children to play a musical instrument at school.

lord agnew of oulton: Music is a statutory subject in the National Curriculum for 5-14 year olds in state maintained schools. The National Curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. To support that, between 2016-2020 we are spending £300 million on a network of music education hubs. The hubs ensure that every child aged 5-18 has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument; provide opportunities to play in ensembles; ensure that clear progression routes are available and affordable for all; and ensure that every pupil has the opportunity to sing regularly. In 2015/16, 662,871 pupils learned to play a musical instrument through whole class ensemble teaching that was provided or supported by music education hubs.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: USA

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made of the impacton a potential future trade deal with the USofmaintaining a common rulebook for all goods with the EU after Brexit.

baroness fairhead: Under the UK’s proposal for its future relationship with the EU, as set out in the Government’s White Paper ‘The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union’, a future UK/US trade deal would be possible and remains a top priority. The UK would have freedom to negotiate in areas such as services, tariffs, and regulatory cooperation and conformity assessment. There is a complementarity between the UK and US economies and there would be substantial gains for both sides.

Department for International Trade: Reviews

lord watts: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many independent reviews the Department for International Tradehas commissioned into its policy or administration over the last year; and what was the total cost of those reviews.

baroness fairhead: The Department for International Trade does not hold this information.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Reviews

lord watts: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many independent reviewsthe Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Governmenthas commissioned into its policy or administration over the last year; and what was the total cost of those reviews.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Departments do not hold this information.

Local Government Finance

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made of the comments by the Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy whosaid that there was a "heightened risk of more councils over the next four years falling into special financial measures as a result of the unrelenting pressure on budgets".

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Department engages with the sector and collects and analyses qualitative and quantitative information to assess and understand risk both across the local government finance system as a whole and in relation to individual councils. As part of our preparations for Spending Review 2019 we will be engaging extensively with local government and with other Government Departments to fully understand forward financial pressures on the sector.

Local Government: Telephone Services

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of local authorities using 0845 numbers to deliver services; and what action, if any, they plan to take to encourage them to use cheaper alternatives.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The use of 0845 numbers for customer services was made illegal in 2014. The Department expects that local authorities are fully compliant with the law and has therefore made no assessment of local authorities using 0845 numbers in the delivery of services.

Ministry of Defence

NATO

lord arbuthnot of edrom: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was meant by the word "additional" in the NATO Brussels Summit Declaration of 11 July which stated in paragraph 14 that "Allies will offer an additional 30 major naval combatants, 30 heavy or medium manoeuvre battalions, and 30 kinetic air squadrons, with enabling forces, at 30 days readiness or less".

lord arbuthnot of edrom: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contribution they intend the UK to make to NATO's Four 30s initiative.

earl howe: The maritime, land, and air assets that will deliver NATO's "4-30s" Readiness Initiative will be in addition to the capabilities already committed to the NATO Response Force. However, the specific requirements are being defined by NATO and national contributions will be confirmed when that process is complete.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Blood Diseases

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last issued any guidance to Department for Work and Pensions disability assessors on the functional effects of thalassaemia and sickle cell disease on claimants; and whether they have any plans to address this issue specifically in the training programme undertaken by assessors.

baroness buscombe: Guidance on Sickle Cell Disease, including the functional effects, was developed and first issued to Centre for Health and Disability Assessments Healthcare Professionals in June 2014. It is quality assured by external specialist practitioners and regularly updated. It was most recently reissued on 18 December 2017. The Personal Independence Payment assessment is not a medical assessment and there is no requirement for the Disability Assessor to diagnose a condition and recommend treatment options. We do not issue guidance on specific clinical conditions to Capita and Independent Assessment Services. Their Disability Assessors are trained to be experts in disability analysis and have knowledge of the functional effects of a wide range of health conditions. Each Provider develops their own guidance as part of their ongoing training All Healthcare Professionals have access to a range of resources as well as experienced clinicians to support them in assessing claimants with conditions that they may not be familiar with. We work extensively with our Assessment Providers to make improvements to guidance and training to ensure that all claimants receive objective, accurate and high quality assessments and have agreed to work directly with the Sickle Cell Society and Thalassemia Society to review our current materials and approach. Assessment Providers continue to engage with medical experts, charities and relevant stakeholders to strengthen, review and update their training programmes.

Universal Credit

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce any improvement to Universal Credit in order to protect vulnerable groups,including peoplewith mental health problems, and families with children under school age.

baroness buscombe: We are fully committed to providing personalised support for all claimants, including vulnerable groups. Each individual’s circumstances are different and therefore their barriers to work and the support required must be tailored to their needs. Work coaches are supported in building a strong relationship with their claimants through a comprehensive training and accreditation programme which includes support to identify and help claimants with complex needs. All work coaches delivering Universal Credit receive training on supporting claimants with health conditions. We are developing additional training in mental health that will be available to work coaches to build their expertise and provide the most effective support. The Department has also increased the numbers of Disability Employment Advisers who provide additional support to the work coaches. On 7 June we announced additional transitional protection for those moving onto Universal Credit via managed migration to protect people who receive a Severe Disability Premium. We also announced changes to make sure the protection we offer people that we move on to Universal Credit is not affected by them taking on a job, earning more or claiming childcare. The Government is also committed to providing additional support for working families, so we have increased childcare funding from 70 per cent of eligible costs in Tax Credits to 85 per cent in Universal Credit.

Universal Credit: Care Leavers

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to collect information on self-identified care leavers in the Universal Credit system in a way that would allow aggregate statistics to be compiled, as is the case for those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance.

baroness buscombe: Collection of data to monitor support for care leavers and other disadvantaged groups is a priority for the Department. Our system already enables staff to record relevant details about an individual’s needs, and we are beginning work to explore ways in which we collect and use this data to help us to monitor support for care leavers and other disadvantaged groups.

Home Office

Home Office: Reviews

lord watts: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many independent reviewsthe Home Office has commissioned into its policy or administration over the last year; and what was the total cost of those reviews.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office regularly commissions independent reviews to get an external perspective on its policy and administration. Information on numbers and, where incurred, costs is not held centrally.

Pornography: Children

baroness howe of idlicote: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites containing non-photographic child sex abuse images accessible in the UK but hosted overseas the National Crime Agency's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre have taken action against in conjunction with international partners in the last five financial years.

baroness williams of trafford: When the NCA receives notification or referrals relating to Manga and CGI material interpreted as representing a child or children involved in sexual activity, where the material is deemed as prohibited it is investigated by law enforcement, which may include preservation orders resulting in the material being taken down.If the site is outside the UK, it is reported by the NCA to the host country via Interpol channels to take appropriate action.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Cabinet Office: Brexit

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planning the Cabinet Office is undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreementthat departmentis undertaking.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planning theDepartment for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategyis undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreement that department is undertaking.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planningtheDepartment for Digital, Culture, Mediaand Sport is undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreementthat departmentis undertaking.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planningthe Department for Educationis undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreementthat departmentis undertaking.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planningtheDepartment forInternational Developmentis undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreementthat departmentis undertaking.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planningtheDepartment forInternational Trade is undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreementthat departmentis undertaking.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planning the Department for Transport is undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreement that department is undertaking.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planning the Department for Work and Pensions is undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreement that department is undertaking.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planning the Department of Health and Social Care is undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreement that department is undertaking.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planning the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreement that department is undertaking.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planning HM Treasury is undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreement that department is undertaking.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planning theHome Office is undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreement that department is undertaking.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planning the Ministry of Defence is undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreement that department is undertaking.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planning theMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Governmentis undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreement that department is undertaking.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planning theMinistry of Justice is undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreement that department is undertaking.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planning the Northern Ireland Office is undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreement that department is undertaking.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planning the Scotland Office is undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreement that department is undertaking.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planning the Wales Office is undertaking to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement; whether they will publish or place in the Library of the House any such plans; and what further preparations, if any, for leaving without an agreement that department is undertaking.

lord callanan: As we continue to make progress in negotiations, we are increasingly confident that we will secure a deal with the EU and in recent months the prospect of leaving negotiations with ‘no deal’ has receded significantly. However, as a responsible government we are preparing for all possible outcomes. Departments’ plans are well developed and are designed to respond to all scenarios, including the unlikely possibility that we leave the EU without a deal in place. Some delivery of contingency plans has already become evident, and more will become public over the coming weeks and months. Parliament has been regularly updated on these preparations for ‘no deal’ and we will continue to provide updates.

Treasury

Crowdfunding

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of peer to peer lending and its potential for growth.

lord bates: The Government believes that peer-to-peer (P2P) lending delivers innovative financial services for both businesses and consumers that can provide competition to the major banks and is keen to see the sector continue to grow and evolve. The Government has implemented a proportionate, principles-based regulatory regime for P2P lending, balancing the need for consumer protection with allowing the sector to grow and evolve. P2P business lending grew by 51% in 2017, totalling £1.78bn of lending, according to the British Business Bank’s Small Business Finance Markets Report 2017-18.

Treasury: Reviews

lord watts: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many independent reviews HM Treasury has commissioned into its policy or administration over the last year; and what was the total cost of those reviews.

lord bates: Her Majesty’s Treasury announced the launch of an independent review of the Co-operative Bank on 6 March 2018 and an independent review into build out of planning permissions into homes at the 2017 Autumn Budget. Over the past year, HM Treasury published the following:an update on the progress of the independent review into build out of planning permissions into homes, together with the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, on 13 March 2018‘delivering better outcomes for citizens: practical steps for unlocking public value’, an independent review which investigated how central government can ensure it is delivering maximum value for every pound spent on public services, on 17 November 2017‘growing a culture of social impact investing in the UK’, together with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, on 14 November 2017an update setting out the progress made on the recommendations put forward by the Insurance Fraud Taskforce, on 9 August 2017 Information on the cost of the independent reviews is not held centrally by HM Treasury.

Social Security Benefits: Children

the lord bishop of durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children published on 28 June by HM Revenue & Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions, of the 70,620 households affected, and not in receipt of an exception, what are the number of households with (1) 3 dependent children, (2)4 dependent children, and (3) 5 or more dependent children.

lord bates: The information requested in respect of Child Tax Credit is set out in the attached table.



Table for HL9478&HL9479
(Word Document, 13.08 KB)

Social Security Benefits: Children

the lord bishop of durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children published on 28 June by HM Revenue & Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions, what was the total number of children affected over the period covered by these statistics, excluding households in receipt of an exception.

lord bates: The information requested in respect of Child Tax Credit is set out in the attached table.



Table for HL9478&HL9479
(Word Document, 13.08 KB)

Social Security Benefits: Children

the lord bishop of durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children published on 28 June by HM Revenue & Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions, what was the average reduction in awards for households affected during the period covered by these statistics, excluding households in receipt of an exception.

lord bates: No household saw a cash reduction in their award as a result of the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children for the period covered by these statistics.

Cryptocurrencies: Cybercrime

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk to those using cryptocurrency exchanges of being targeted by cybercriminals.

lord bates: This Government is taking the increased use of cryptoassets seriously. We want to harness the potential benefits of the underlying distributed ledger technology, while managing the risks posed by developments in cryptoassets to consumers and markets. The Government has set up a Cryptoasset Taskforce comprising of HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority. The Taskforce’s objectives include exploring the impact of cryptoassets, and the potential benefits and challenges of the application of distributed ledger technology in financial services. It will also assess what, if any, regulation is required in response. The Taskforce will deliver a report in September 2018. HM Treasury is also liaising with the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre to better understand their approach to the cyber security risks to consumers of cryptoassets.

Government Departments: Loans

lord morris of aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whichGovernment organisations, other than the Student Loans Company, charge borrowers more than four per cent for loans.

lord bates: The Government has issued many loans over the years and interest rates have varied considerably over time. Given this, details of all loans issued and the rates applied are not held centrally by HM Treasury.

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what involvement the UK has with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

lord bates: The UK became a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in 2015, with a 3.18% shareholding, representing a capital contribution of $3.05 billion (of which 20% will be paid-in over five years, and 80% is callable). The Chancellor of the Exchequer represents the UK at the AIIB Board of Governors. The UK also holds one of the 12 seats on the AIIB Board of Directors, representing the Wider Europe Constituency (Denmark, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK). The UK is an active and committed shareholder of the Bank, in pursuit of the UK’s objectives of supporting economic growth in Asia, deepening economic ties globally, supporting the development of international financial institutions, and creating opportunities for British businesses.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Information Commissioner: Fines

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of fines available to be imposed by the Information Commissioner where organisations are found to have broken the law.

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to take further action to protect people's data.

lord ashton of hyde: The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the new Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) strengthen standards on data protection, ensuring they are up to date for the modern age. The GDPR allows the Information Commissioner to impose fines up to £18 million or 4% of global turnover. These are significantly higher fines than were available under the Data Protection Act 1998 where the maximum fine that could be imposed was £500,000. We will continue to work with the Commissioner to monitor and evaluate the impact of the fines over the months and years ahead.

Gaming Machines

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what meetings civil servants and ministers had with stakeholders between 1 January and 11 July about the reduction in stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals from £100 to £2; and what were the (1) dates, (2) locations, and (3) attendees, of each of those meetings.

lord ashton of hyde: Ministers and officials from DCMS have regular meetings with stakeholders to discuss a range of issues including B2 stake reduction. Details of Ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis on gov.uk.

Cybercrime: Small Businesses

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps theyare taking to encourage and enable small businesses to (1) improve their cyber security, and (2) build a robust IT infrastructure.

lord ashton of hyde: As part of the 2016-2021 National Cyber Security Strategy the Government created the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to be the authority on the UK’s cyber security environment, sharing knowledge, addressing systemic vulnerabilities and providing leadership on key national cyber security issues. In October 2017, the NCSC published a Small Business Guide which is freely available on its website. Following this guidance will significantly increase the protection of small businesses against the most common forms of cybercrime. The guide cannot guarantee protection from all types of cyber attack, but it sets out easy, low-cost steps that can be to protect an organisation’s data, assets and reputation. The NCSC also manages the Cyber Essentials scheme, another tool which businesses can take to protect themselves against a whole range of the most common cyber attacks.  In addition, the Government recently introduced the Data Protection Act (2018), which requires organisations to have appropriate technical and organisational cyber security measures in place to protect personal data.

Gambling

lord chadlington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that gambling operators minimise the addictive nature of gambling products.

lord ashton of hyde: Protecting vulnerable people from gambling-related harm is a priority for the Government and where there is evidence that a particular product or environment is causing harm, we will take action. The government Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility in May sought to ensure the right balance between socially responsible growth of industry, and the protection of the most vulnerable, including children, from gambling-related harm. We have committed to reduce the maximum stake on B2 machines from £100 to £2 and the Gambling Commission will work with industry to improve player control measures on these and other category B gaming machines. The Gambling Commission regularly reviews its regulatory requirements to take account of developments in technology and in the market and in response to emerging risks and issues. It recently concluded a review of the online gambling sector, which identified a number of key areas where it plans to consult on enhancing protections. It also identified areas for further work, including reviewing game and product characteristics to identify whether particular features pose greater risk of harm than others. It intends to conduct further research into the relationship between in-game features and the potential to incentivise negative gambling behaviour.

Gambling: Young People

lord chadlington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that gambling operators protect young people from gambling-related harm.

lord ashton of hyde: Protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling is a priority for government and under the legislation in place is a core licensing objective for the Gambling Commission. Online and land-based operators offering gambling services to people in Great Britain must be licensed by the Commission and must have effective policies and procedures designed to prevent underage gambling. The Licence conditions and codes of practice (LCCP) set out social responsibility requirements for gambling operators, including to protect children and vulnerable people. The Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB), the Gambling Commission’s expert adviser, recently published a report on children, young people and gambling. In response, the Commission has set out further commitments to protect children and young people, including carrying out targeted compliance and enforcement activity to identify and tackle any weaknesses in the age verification processes. It recently concluded a review of the online gambling sector and announced that it will consult on requiring all consumers to be age-verified before they are able to deposit money or access free-to-play games.

Broadband: Rural Areas

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the Better Broadband Subsidy voucher scheme beyond 31 December for the provision of broadband in the hardest to reach rural areas.

lord ashton of hyde: The Department is currently considering how it can most effectively use vouchers to extend broadband coverage and an announcement will be made in due course.

International Broadcasting

baroness quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Commercial Broadcasters Association to ensure that international broadcasters and TV channels based in the UK will be able to continue to broadcast after Brexit as at present.

lord ashton of hyde: The government has been engaging extensively with the Commercial Broadcasters Association (COBA) and its members to discuss the impact of Brexit on international broadcasters based in the UK. Over the past year, DCMS has hosted a number of ministerial roundtables on the topic of Brexit, attended by the COBA members. Ministers and officials have also held regular bilateral meetings with financial and policy teams from a variety of international broadcasting firms regarding the implications of our exit from the EU for these companies. COBA has been instrumental for enhancing the government’s understanding of sector’s priorities and concerns relating to EU Exit. As set out by the recently published Brexit White paper, the UK is seeking the best possible arrangement for broadcasting that will work for the broadcasting sector, and we are committed to continue working with COBA members to understand their needs and concerns.